BACK IN THE DAY
In the beginning GOD called a lot of things "good". GOD called "day and night"/"light" good (Gen. 1:4). He called "land and sea" good (Gen. 1:10). "Vegetation" was called good (Gen. 1:11-12). GOD called the "sun, moon, and stars" good (Gen. 1:14-18). He called "water creatures and birds" good (Gen. 1:20-21). "Land creatures" were called good (Gen. 1:24-25). GOD called humans, fruit trees, seed-bearing plants, every green plant, and dominion/rulership over His creatures" good (Gen. 1:26-31).
Then there was "rest". Not only was "rest" good but GOD blessed the seventh day and made it holy or separated apart from the other days. [There is a lesson unto itself here, so learn it quickly, I'm moving on.]
So, GOD has created and naturally all He has created is good. However, there is an order to things, because my GOD is not the god of chaos.
Genesis 2:5-17 speaks to this order. First on the earth - "no shrub and no plant" was found and man was not around. Then GOD made man. Next GOD made/planted a garden in the east. East of what, I wonder? That eastern locale was called Eden. It is here that GOD placed Adam and the next event to occur was for trees to start popping up out of the ground everywhere in the garden of all varieties. The river system of Eden and the surrounding area is mentioned next. Then the commission to be the garden's steward is issued by GOD to Adam. Following the commission were instructions about what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten within the garden.
In the next passage of Scripture, Genesis 2:22-25, notice a different creation - GOD makes woman, brings her to the man, and Adam calls her "woman". They are married by God because she is considered his wife, Adam names her "Eve" (Gen. 3:20), and both are naked without any shame. So, at this time there is a perfect husband-wife-GOD relationship (before the fall). Who knows how long the time frame between Genesis 2:25 and Genesis 3:1-7 was but we know sin perverted what GOD intended for good.
Here's another wonderment - Did Adam and Eve have children before "the fall"? Genesis 3:16 states, "I will greatly increase your pain in childbearing." This was a result of Eve's disobedience. If GOD "will greatly increase your pain" in having children then that means there must have been some degree of pain associated with other pregnancies before "the fall". Right?
In addition, here are some items that also got out of order when sin entered the picture. "The woman will have a desire for her husband" is what Genesis 3:16 says, implying that the desire of woman was something different pre-fall. The second part of that verse says, "and he [the husband] will rule over you", implying that it was not like that at one point. In fact, as mentioned before, there was a time when a perfect, harmonious relationship existed between all.
Adam.......should have known better. His consequences? "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it...". Remember, Adam was given the responsibility of tending the garden so everything under his care is now effected by his mistake. This also implies that caring for the garden before hand was easy and a blessing. And all this was a result of Adam listening to his wife (Gen. 3:17) or better put - not falling back on the Word(s) of the LORD.
The world, humanity and all of creation was not suppose to be like this. Or was it?
Jesus, GOD's only Son, paid the price to redeem it all and restore it all to it's former glory and beyond with His own life, death, and resurrection. No other "messiah" has come to us and gifted us so. All other pretenders have attempted to attain redemption by working for it in this life. But we all have fallen too far and too hard. Plus those gods are in no comparison to the One True God, creator and sustainer of it all, my GOD - Jesus Christ, His Father and His Holy Spirit. The full manifestation of this redeemed/restored state has not occured YET, but will be revealed at the LORD's second coming to rule the earth during the Millenium and forever more.
GOD deals in the incredible! He had a plan from the beginning which included all that has happened, is happening, and will happen. It is our inference on His plan - that something went wrong - that enters a flaw into His design. Because we have been told what has happened and is going to happen, especially what we see as mistakes, we associate those mishaps in the scheme of things with either a God who doesn't exist or one who does exist but keeps changing His plan to adapt to our behavior. Neither is correct!
My GOD considered it ALL before creating anything or speaking anything into existence - spiritual or physical (1 Peter 1:19-20; Hebrews 4:3). He counted the cost and deemed the entire plan worthy of execution - exactly as it has been and will be played out. That's how marvelous, that's how wonderful, that's how incredible my GOD is.
Imagine the future. Imagine a redeemed, restored future from a past that we will possibly look back at and recall the price Jesus paid for us to spend eternity with Him. For this is the basis of our relationship with Him as believers - through his death, burial, and resurrection. I don't see us ever forgetting His sacrifice.
Imagine creation and all it's relationships, pre-fall, to GOD - they were perfect. Imagine the "glory days" and how it must have been before sin, disobedience, or rebellion. Imagine Back In The Day.
Now imagine a future better than "as it should have been", because my GOD, is BIGGER THAN THAT!
Then there was "rest". Not only was "rest" good but GOD blessed the seventh day and made it holy or separated apart from the other days. [There is a lesson unto itself here, so learn it quickly, I'm moving on.]
So, GOD has created and naturally all He has created is good. However, there is an order to things, because my GOD is not the god of chaos.
Genesis 2:5-17 speaks to this order. First on the earth - "no shrub and no plant" was found and man was not around. Then GOD made man. Next GOD made/planted a garden in the east. East of what, I wonder? That eastern locale was called Eden. It is here that GOD placed Adam and the next event to occur was for trees to start popping up out of the ground everywhere in the garden of all varieties. The river system of Eden and the surrounding area is mentioned next. Then the commission to be the garden's steward is issued by GOD to Adam. Following the commission were instructions about what can be eaten and what cannot be eaten within the garden.
In the next passage of Scripture, Genesis 2:22-25, notice a different creation - GOD makes woman, brings her to the man, and Adam calls her "woman". They are married by God because she is considered his wife, Adam names her "Eve" (Gen. 3:20), and both are naked without any shame. So, at this time there is a perfect husband-wife-GOD relationship (before the fall). Who knows how long the time frame between Genesis 2:25 and Genesis 3:1-7 was but we know sin perverted what GOD intended for good.
Here's another wonderment - Did Adam and Eve have children before "the fall"? Genesis 3:16 states, "I will greatly increase your pain in childbearing." This was a result of Eve's disobedience. If GOD "will greatly increase your pain" in having children then that means there must have been some degree of pain associated with other pregnancies before "the fall". Right?
In addition, here are some items that also got out of order when sin entered the picture. "The woman will have a desire for her husband" is what Genesis 3:16 says, implying that the desire of woman was something different pre-fall. The second part of that verse says, "and he [the husband] will rule over you", implying that it was not like that at one point. In fact, as mentioned before, there was a time when a perfect, harmonious relationship existed between all.
Adam.......should have known better. His consequences? "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it...". Remember, Adam was given the responsibility of tending the garden so everything under his care is now effected by his mistake. This also implies that caring for the garden before hand was easy and a blessing. And all this was a result of Adam listening to his wife (Gen. 3:17) or better put - not falling back on the Word(s) of the LORD.
The world, humanity and all of creation was not suppose to be like this. Or was it?
Jesus, GOD's only Son, paid the price to redeem it all and restore it all to it's former glory and beyond with His own life, death, and resurrection. No other "messiah" has come to us and gifted us so. All other pretenders have attempted to attain redemption by working for it in this life. But we all have fallen too far and too hard. Plus those gods are in no comparison to the One True God, creator and sustainer of it all, my GOD - Jesus Christ, His Father and His Holy Spirit. The full manifestation of this redeemed/restored state has not occured YET, but will be revealed at the LORD's second coming to rule the earth during the Millenium and forever more.
GOD deals in the incredible! He had a plan from the beginning which included all that has happened, is happening, and will happen. It is our inference on His plan - that something went wrong - that enters a flaw into His design. Because we have been told what has happened and is going to happen, especially what we see as mistakes, we associate those mishaps in the scheme of things with either a God who doesn't exist or one who does exist but keeps changing His plan to adapt to our behavior. Neither is correct!
My GOD considered it ALL before creating anything or speaking anything into existence - spiritual or physical (1 Peter 1:19-20; Hebrews 4:3). He counted the cost and deemed the entire plan worthy of execution - exactly as it has been and will be played out. That's how marvelous, that's how wonderful, that's how incredible my GOD is.
Imagine the future. Imagine a redeemed, restored future from a past that we will possibly look back at and recall the price Jesus paid for us to spend eternity with Him. For this is the basis of our relationship with Him as believers - through his death, burial, and resurrection. I don't see us ever forgetting His sacrifice.
Imagine creation and all it's relationships, pre-fall, to GOD - they were perfect. Imagine the "glory days" and how it must have been before sin, disobedience, or rebellion. Imagine Back In The Day.
Now imagine a future better than "as it should have been", because my GOD, is BIGGER THAN THAT!
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